'Pharma News'

According to Deloitte Patented drug launches could be delayed in India

Launch of patented drugs in India could be delayed due to the government's thought process on linking patented drug prices to the country's per-capita income. The recent government thought process on linking patented drug prices to the country's per-capita income in relation to certain developed markets could result in delayed patented drug entry into India.

As per the 2013 Global life sciences outlook by Deloitte, the debate over compulsory licensing remains a contentious issue in India, while innovator pharmaceutical firms will also face several challenges such as margin pressure from pharma generics and complex regulatory policies.

In the recent past, India has witnessed some major developments related to patented drugs. In a major landmark judgement in April this year, the Supreme Court had rejected Swiss pharma giant Novartis's plea for patent protection on cancer drug Glivec and to restrain Indian firms from making generic copies of the drug.

Earlier in March this year, Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) had upheld compulsory license granted to domestic firm Natco PharmaBSE 0.14 % allowing it to produce cheaper generic versions of Nexavar, a patented drug of multinational Bayer Corporation, used for treating the liver and kidney cancers.

Last year, Natco was allowed to manufacture and sell generic Nexavar at a price not exceeding Rs 8,880 for a pack of 120 tablets required for a month's treatment as compared to a huge Rs 2.80 lakh per month charged by Bayer.